Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Decameron, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Love and Sex
Men and Women
Moderation and Excess
Intelligence
Class and Character
Faith vs. Religion
Summary
Analysis
As the sun rises, illuminating the gardens and meadows, the young men and women wake up to wander through the pleasant countryside and weave flower garlands. After breakfast, dancing, and a siesta, they gather to tell stories under the rulership of Filomena, who asks Neifile to tell the day’s first tale.
The introduction to Day II again invokes the idea of the “hortus conclusus” or enclosed garden, reminding readers that the brigata are in a place entirely removed from the cares and woes of normal life—and in a place associated with love stories and magically happy endings.
Themes
